Under the Cover

"You can't judge a book by its cover." We've all heard that quip, I'm sure. But any successful author will tell you that good or bad, whether or not they like to admit it, the cover of a book is as important as the ideas and thoughts and words that reside upon its pages. An engaging cover ... engaging, not necessarily pretty or beautiful ... an engaging cover is often what causes a book to be lifted from the shelf and perused (or skimmed on the Internet) and eventually purchased. I recently heard an interview with a famous writer who said, "The cover has to grab the attention first, and once people start reading your book (providing it is a good read), they will be hooked by the information or the story within. But you've got to get them to pick up the book first and then hope what they find inside will prove worthy of their reading."

While a book cover may or may not be the basis for judging what's on the inside of a book, it seems to me that we often look at our fellowman based on their "covers" ... covers of weight or hair or speech or political leaning or clothing or financial status or religious affiliation or a multitude of other covers. How many times have I seen someone and sized them up based on what they were wearing or what kind of car they were driving? How many times have I shied away from someone because they were homeless or sick or old or between jobs? How many times have I gone out of my way to avoid someone because I heard something about them that made me uncomfortable? Yep, I'm guilty of all of those actions ... every single one of them at one time or another in my life. And I think if many of you are truly honest with yourselves, you'll admit to the same behavior. And ... many of us can also admit that we've been on the receiving end of being judged by our own covers.

Last week, I was introduced to someone I had never met before with these words: "This is Terrie. She has diabetes. If she gets really grumpy and starts to shake, it means her blood sugar is low." Honestly ... that's how the person I was with introduced me. And that introduction has haunted me ever since. It's true that I have diabetes. It's also true that I sometimes get grumpy and shake and have low blood sugar (as at times, I might add, do most people who have diabetes). But I am also a Christian, a mom, a sister, an editor, a friend. I am so much more than just a person with diabetes ... for those who care to look beyond the cover and read what's inside.

A few posts back, I wrote about a new Dolly Parton CD that I downloaded. On that CD is a song titled "Backwoods Barbie," and I've listened to it a ton over the last few days. I'm going to close once again with some Dolly lyrics, but I've got one more thing to add ... I'm so very thankful that Jesus truly reads the inside of my book and doesn't judge me by my cover. My prayer is that He will one day introduce me to His Father with these words: "Hey, Dad, this is Terrie. She's a pretty good book ... look, Dad ... she's covered by My blood."

"I grew up poor and ragged, just a simple country girl.
I wanted to be pretty more than anything in the world.
From rags to wishes in my dreams, I could have it all.
Don't let these false eyelashes lead you to believe that
I'm as shallow as I look 'cause I run true and deep.

I've always been misunderstood because of how I look.
Don't judge me by the cover 'cause I'm a real good book.
So read into it what you will, but see me as I am.
The way I look is just a country girl's idea of glam.
 
And I'm all dolled up and hopin' for a chance to prove my worth,
And even backwoods Barbies get their feelings hurt.
Yes, I can see where I could be misjudged upon first glance;
But even backwoods Barbies deserve a second chance."